The insights come from proactive visits to more than 600 wood product manufacturing businesses between January and March this year, including over 100 joinery workshops, most of them small to medium-sized.

Manufacturing remains one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s highest harm sectors. It accounts for the highest rate and number of injuries with more than a week off work, with around 200 injuries each year involving machinery.

WorkSafe’s assessments focused on the critical risks most likely to cause serious harm: machine safety, exposure to wood dust, fumes and chemicals, and hazardous substances management.

More than 85 percent of joinery businesses that were assessed by WorkSafe inspectors received guidance and practical support to strengthen their health and safety practices.

Project lead Savio Valladares says the most common areas needing improvement were machine safety, hazardous substances management, and local exhaust ventilation.

However, he emphasises that practical improvements are within reach.

“Making work safer starts with the basics – good training and worker engagement, effective supervision, properly guarded and maintained machinery, and controlling dust and fumes,” he says.

Managing the risks of exposure to wood dust was a consistent issue. Among the businesses assessed, common gaps included poor housekeeping, limited training, and incorrect selection or use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Overall, 56 percent had PPE-related issues.

“Exposure to wood dust can have serious long-term health effects,” says Savio Valladares. “Simple steps like choosing the right respirator and making sure it fits properly can make a big difference.”

Hazardous substances management also stood out, with 60% of businesses needing improvement. In many cases, basic information such as safety data sheets or inventories were missing.

WorkSafe’s Hazardous Substances Principal Advisor Susan Collier says these gaps can leave workers exposed to both immediate and long-term harm.

“The consequences of not properly managing hazardous substances can be immediate – people can be overwhelmed by toxic gases and burned by spills. But what’s more common is that people may be exposed but they don’t feel the effects until many years later.”

She says there are ways of working with these substances that ensure worker safety – and a good starting point is the safety data sheets which businesses can get from their suppliers.

“We also have a Hazardous Substances Calculator available online. And if you input your data it’ll spit out a controls report specific to your business, to help with safe storage and management. It’s really useful and businesses don’t have to navigate this alone.”

That’s a sentiment that’s echoed by Savio Valladares: “Our inspectors have a lot of knowledge and information available, which can help ensure workplaces are safer and better for everyone.”

“Another thing that can really help is looking inside your business – good worker engagement can help identify and address some of these problems. It really is at the heart of what we do and can be a really valuable tool for businesses.”

Businesses can find guidance on managing manufacturing risks on the WorkSafe website.

From shutdown to turnaround – an example of WorkSafe intervention

When WorkSafe inspector Mike McConnell arrived at a small joinery business for a routine visit, the situation was serious.

Dust coated almost every surface. Offcuts surrounded machinery, creating trip and fire risks. Dust extraction units were running but not connected.

“They were just sucking air,” he says. “Electrical risks were visible. A worker was operating alone in the workshop, breathing in fine wood dust.

“It was the worst place I’d ever seen.”

Work couldn’t continue. A prohibition notice, a legal direction that stops work immediately when there’s serious risk of harm, was issued.

For the owner, who asked to remain anonymous, it was confronting but fair. “I knew it had got too bad,” he says. “It needed to be cleaned up.”

What followed was a focused turnaround. With support from WorkSafe, the workshop closed for a week. The space was thoroughly cleaned, extraction systems repaired, electrical risks addressed, and housekeeping rebuilt.

Just as importantly, the focus shifted to worker health. The owner learned more about wood dust risks, arranged health monitoring, and made sure proper personal protective equipment was available. “I didn’t realise how much the evidence had changed over the years,” he says. “You’ve got to take it seriously now.”

The prohibition notice still hangs on the wall as a conversation starter.

“I’ve heard people dismiss WorkSafe and its inspectors in the past, but in my experience, they’ve provided really useful advice – they’re able to look at my workshop with a fresh set of eyes and point out risks that I don’t see.

“WorkSafe are welcome to come into my workshop – their advice could save my, or someone else’s, arm or a leg. Why would you want to avoid that?”

For WorkSafe’s Mike McConnell the visit reinforces what the job is all about: “This was the best result, a huge improvement in health and safety without anyone having to suffer an injury first.

“Everyone worked together to ensure the business got back up and running as quickly as possible. It’s satisfying when we can work closely with others to help them identify and address hazards before someone gets hurt.”

More information

Hazardous substances calculator(external link)
Create and manage your hazardous substances inventory

Health and exposure monitoring
Practical guidance for businesses to help assess exposure to hazardous airborne substances. Get an introduction to worker exposure standards (WES), exposure-management case studies, and a guide to working with occupational hygienists.